I first tasted the heavenly combination of fish, grapefruit and vanilla at one of Ottawa’s consistently delightful restaurants, The Wellington Gastropub. While Chef Chris Deraiche’s dish featured salmon as the centrepiece, I have long suspected the same flavours would be equally delicious with scallops – and I was right! This recipe has vaulted to the very top of my list of dishes that I would eat day after day if I could. Buy the biggest, freshest scallops you can find and transform them into something magical thanks to this outstanding sauce.

The combination of grapefruit and vanilla blends beautifully with seafood.

With a sharp knife, cut the peel and white pith off the grapefruit. Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut out the segments of the grapefruit, leaving the membrane behind. Put the segments in one bowl and the juice in another.

Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean pod and add to the grapefruit juice; refrigerate until needed.

In a small frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat, then add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the white wine and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the rice vinegar and grapefruit juice. Add grapefruit segments. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Remove and discard any muscle tabs still attached to the sides of the scallops.

Pat the scallops dry with paper towels then dust lightly with salt and pepper.

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallops, cover with a splatter screen if you have one, and cook until they are golden brown on one side (2 – 4 minutes), turn over and cook another 2 – 4 minutes until both sides are golden and the scallops are almost firm to the touch.

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About Paula Roy

Welcome to my kitchen! I play with words and with food. I love simple dishes prepared with passion and am always seeking to find new methods to make food as fun and flavourful as possible. I'm also an enthusiastic explorer of faraway lands and cuisines.